ArtHyve, a Denver-based community arts archives built to transcend and challenge mainstream art representation by preserving and providing access to the archives of underrepresented artists in Denver and Colorado, was recently awarded a $100,000 startup/matching challenge grant by the Orphiflamme Foundation. The Orphiflamme Foundation are major supporters of Cabinet Magazine, the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and the Institute for Figuring. The $100,000 will be awarded over a three year period, and will be invested in ArtHyve’s infrastructure, primarily in two critical initiatives: a personal archiving/reading room available to members and the public, and a multi-year project to seed its “time capsule” collection with the archives of community-nominated artists.

“This grant will launch ArtHyve into a new era of community engagement, collection development, and sustainability,” said ArtHyve founder and Creative Director, Jessie de la Cruz. “We are humbled by the Foundation’s belief in our organization’s mission, and their faith in our ability to execute.”

A spokesperson from the Orphiflamme Foundation spoke on the importance of awarding this grant: “ArtHyve has a unique purpose and capacity for high impact at the nexus of art and citizen empowerment, not only in Colorado but as a model and hub for other small organizations around the country. Though their work is somewhat uncategorizable, we are confident that they will soon be recognized as filling an important hole in the cultural scene, helping us to remember and understand the critical importance and creative potential of institutional, individual, and community archives.”

“Time capsules,” the organization’s chosen method of archiving, are foundational to the organization’s mission. According to Creative Director de la Cruz: “Most archives seek out and accept a range of permanently valuable materials documenting an artist’s creative process. Our goal is to have both communities- and self-nominated artists and creatives submit the archival equivalent of a snapshot – documentation of a project, an exhibit, a particular period of time, or anything that the artist feels is representative of them – they self-curate how they want to be seen in the historical record. The personal archiving room is an extension of that same goal: empowering artists to self-curate, to tell their story in ways that will be heard and remembered in their own words, and on their own terms.”

ArtHyve seeks funding from foundations and organizations with challenge grant opportunities and invites individual and organizational support from a wide range of funders who see ArtHyve as a way to make a difference in the Colorado arts community. In addition to the above programs, we are also developing an arts library, information literacy programs, exhibitions, other programs and events, and are in the process of designing a more inviting physical space where visitors can commune with the arts and culture collected through the time capsule program.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: ArtHyve Receives $100,000 Challenge Grant

WHO: ArtHyve, a community arts archive in and for Denver and Colorado

WHEN: July 1, 2018-June 30, 2021 (Three-Year Grant)

ABOUT ArtHyve:

ArtHyve is a collective of artists, activists and archivists committed to transcending, and challenging mainstream art representation, while celebrating, preserving and documenting the creative communities and practices throughout our city and state. We manifest our mission through public programming, workshops, exhibitions, collections development and interdisciplinary talks, all of which inspire critical inquiry, scholarship and creative engagement.